As the editor of this site, and someone who handles the vast majority of game-day activities, I follow the same routine every time the Pittsburgh Steelers take the field.
- Write the game recap as the game unwinds.
- Update any injuries/news happening throughout the game.
- After the game write an Injury Report.
- Watch Mike Tomlin’s presser for news and nuggets.
- Keep an eye on Twitter for anything coming from the locker room.
Rinse, lather and repeat every week.
When the Steelers lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs, I was waiting for the expected fallout of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. After all, I had predicted all year that fans should expect a Favre-like off-season until No. 7 officially hangs it up.
Will he play this year? As the quarterback waffles back and forth.
To say I was stunned when Roethlisberger took the podium less than an hour after the game and said he will certainly be back next year would be a huge understatement. On top of that, Roethlisberger reportedly told Kevin Colbert and Art Rooney II he wanted to not only play out the rest of his contract, but also play longer.
Well then.
Colbert told media it won’t impact their off-season approach, but it should. With Roethlisberger, Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs all set to return next season, I wouldn’t think quarterback will be high on their off-season to-do list. Take a look at the prospects, as you always do, but realize this team’s window will be wide open as long as Roethlsiberger is in the lineup.
If the team is going to start thinking about heavily investing at the QB position, it would be next off-season, in my opinion.
Now time to check in on the other news outside the walls of BTSC:
A new contract may be in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s future, but general manager Kevin Colbert said the Steelers don’t need to restructure his current deal or extend it for salary-cap purposes before the new league year begins March 14.
Roethlisberger has two years remaining on his contract and will count $23.2 million against the salary cap in each of the 2018-19 seasons. The Steelers have about $6 million in cap space as they try to sign running back Le’Veon Bell to a long-term contract.
Colbert said it was a “huge lift emotionally” when Roethlisberger announced after the AFC divisional playoff loss to Jacksonville in January that he would return for 2018 and beyond.
Former Vice President Joe Biden will be among the speakers at a Duquesne University event next month to honor the memory of former Steelers owner Dan Rooney.
Biden will serve as the keynote speaker at Slainte! Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dan Rooney, a day-long symposium March 16 that explores Rooney’s impact on Pittsburgh, Ireland, the Catholic Church and the NFL.
Rooney, who died last year at 84, was appointed the U.S. ambassador to Ireland in 2009 by the administration of President Barack Obama and Biden.
Other panelists and moderators scheduled for the event include Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, former Steelers players Charlie Batch and Rocky Bleier, former CIA and NSA director General Michael V. Hayden, Worldwide Ireland Funds President and CEO Kieran McLoughlin and NFL vice president Jeff Pash.
Move over Mel Blount. Make room Hines Ward. Step aside James Harrison.
Jesse James is about to become the latest Steeler to have his own “rule” named after him.
“The Jesse James Rule” might soon mean “surviving the ground” will not survive the off-season.
James’ infamous overturned touchdown against the New England Patriots in Week 15 of 2017 appears to have been the proverbial straw that broke the league’s back when it comes to officiating what should be a legal catch.
The Dez Bryant debate occurred three seasons ago. Calvin Johnson’s was seven. Yet the NFL stubbornly plowed through the catch grey matter for years. The argument about James’ play that would have beaten the Patriots and reshaped the AFC playoff bracket became the tipping point.
Many speculated that negative reaction to the James ruling influenced the NFL’s decision not to overturn two Philadelphia Eagles touchdowns in the Super Bowl win against New England.